Eldon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Eldon is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in an enclosed place. The surname Eldon literally means dweller at the old enclosure or dwelling.

Early Origins of the Eldon family

The surname Eldon was first found in Essex, Suffolk and Yorkshire at Aldham. In all cases, the place name meant "the old homestead," or "homestead of a man called Ealda," from the Old English personal name + "ham." 1

Aldham, Essex and Aldham, Suffolk were both listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 and both were listed under the same spelling, Aldeham. 2

Another branch of the family was found at Elford in Staffordshire. "Before the Conquest the manor [of Elford] belonged to Earl Algar, and in the reign of Henry III. was held by William de Alderne, whose descendants continued to enjoy it until the marriage of the heiress of Sir John Alderney with the Stanleys, when the property passed to that family." 3

Aldhelm (640?-709), was Bishop of Sherborne, the son of Kenten. "Aldhelm was no less great as a builder than as a scholar. He built a church dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul to be the head church of his monastery. He also built two other churches at Malmesbury. One of these, St. Mary's, succeeded St. Peter's as the chief church in the tenth century. " 4

Early History of the Eldon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eldon research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1616, 1652 and 1660 are included under the topic Early Eldon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eldon Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Eldon has been recorded under many different variations, including Aldham, Aldam, Aldem, Aldum, Aldeham, Aldom, Eldham, Eldam, Eldum, Haldiman and many more.

Early Notables of the Eldon family

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas Aldham or Aldam (c. 1616-1660), an English Quaker who was imprisoned in York in 1652 for speaking in a "steeple-house" (church), and fined 40 shillings for refusing to pay...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Eldon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eldon migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Eldon or a variant listed above:

Eldon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

John A. Eldon, aged 24, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Turrialba" from Port Limon, Costa Rica 5
Hannah Eldon, aged 55, originally from Ashton-U.L., Liverpool, England, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Vestris" from Liverpool, England 5
James Henry Eldon, aged 25, originally from Portadown, Ireland, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Londonderry, Ireland 5

Eldon migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Eldon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Eldon, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bosworth" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 24th November 1857 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Eldon (post 1700) +

Ethan C. Eldon, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 1st District, 1982 7
John Scott Eldon (1751-1838), English lawyer and politician
Earl of Eldon,
David Eldon Lasley (1947-2021), American recording artist, singer and songwriter, known for his contributions as a background singer for such artists as Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Luther Vandross, Chic, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and Boz Scaggs
John Eldon Zook (1947-2020), American professional football player who was a defensive end for 12 seasons in the National Football League
Willie Eldon O'Ree CM ONB (b. 1935), Canadian former professional ice hockey player from Fredericton, New Brunswick, the first black player in the National Hockey League, referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of ice hockey"
Thomas Eldon Hayhurst (b. 1942), American politician, City Councilman, Fort Wayne, Indiana (1996-2008)
Captain Charles Eldon Brady Jr. (b. 1951), American former NASA Astronaut with over 405 hours in space 8
Austin Eldon Knowlton (1909-2003), American architect
Patrick Eldon Daunt, Principal Administrator, Education and Training of European Communities

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Charles Brady. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/brady.html